What's the Beef?

At first, concern over the drugs was limited to the physical advantage steroids gave their users. Many athletes on anabolics enjoyed an edge over their drug-free competitors. They were stronger, and they recovered more quickly from grueling workouts, which enhanced their gains even more. But in the mid-1980s, a number of articles began appearing in national publications suggesting that steroid use did more harm than merely creating two classes of athletes. The drugs were also, apparently, dangerous to one's health. Even more alarming, later reports indicated that steroid use had begun trickling down -- that a performance-enhancing drug once used exclusively by elite athletes, gym rats and muscle-heads had begun to appear in high school weight rooms.

Medical professionals and researchers still disagree as to how dangerous steroids really are to adults. Congress, however, decided it was time to act. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 made it a felony to distribute steroids without a valid doctor's prescription. The following year, the Anabolic Steroid Restriction Act also made it illegal to use the mail to transport the drugs.

But the statutes did not specifically target steroid users. In fact, when the subject was broached, several federal agencies specifically recommended against criminalizing the possession of steroids. In 1988, a DEA official testifying before a House subcommittee expressed the agency's hesitation.

A year later, a representative from the American Medical Association concurred. Speaking in front of the Senate, Dr. Edward Langston admitted that steroid abuse was a problem. But, he added, steroids were different from other illegal drugs. Citing one of the government's own requirements to list a drug as a controlled substance, Langston stated that "abuse of steroids does not lead to the physical or psychological dependence as is required for scheduling."

Other medical experts disagreed, however, and, combined with the emotional testimony of the many athletes who showed up to bemoan the tilt in the playing field brought about by performance-enhancing drugs -- sprinter Carl Lewis was a star witness -- the anti-steroids testimonies won the day. The Anabolic Steroid Control Act was passed on November 29, 1990.

The new law made it a felony to possess anabolic steroids -- drugs related to testosterone that "promote muscle growth" -- without a prescription, a crime punishable by a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Those convicted of distribution of anabolic steroids could face five years behind bars and a $250,000 fine. Prior drug convictions, of course, could tack on many more years in prison.

In the years following the passage of the 1990 federal law, most states passed corresponding legislation that added steroids to their own lists of banned drugs. Those laws vary widely -- not only in terms of how they define steroids and which forms are listed as illegal, but also in how each state chooses to punish its offenders.

In Rhode Island, for instance, anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (hGH) are listed as controlled substances. Pennsylvania does not include hGH in its laws. Alaska and Vermont's state drug laws don't mention steroids at all. Colorado makes using steroids a misdemeanor -- but, curiously, possessing them is a felony.

With the testosterone and Deca coursing through his body, Mike's energy levels soared. The time he needed to recover between sets of weightlifting dropped as well. "My muscle soreness went down -- it didn't disappear, but it definitely lessened, and the amount of weight I could lift went up," Mike says.

And he wasn't alone. Plenty of other people seemed to have discovered the superman effects of the drugs, too. After competing for several years in local competitions, including the annual Northern Colorado Bodybuilding Championships, and getting to know many of the state's bodybuilders, Mike says he discovered that nearly every competitor was juicing: "Pretty much every contestant in competitions other than those advertised as 'natural' is taking steroids."

And in those competitions that insist they're drug-free?

"About 60 percent."

Mike felt and looked great. Despite all the warnings about using steroids, he had no health problems. To make sure things stayed that way, he found a local physician to collect quarterly blood draws on him to check his liver function and drug levels. Although his doctor knew what he was doing was illegal, "she was happy I was being honest with her," Mike recalls. "Most doctors won't prescribe steroids for you. They'll say, 'It's bad that you're taking that.' And I'd say, 'Yeah, I know. But can I do some labs to monitor it and make sure I'm not hurting myself?'"

If anything, life was a little too good, too busy. He was attending school to study computer networking while working full-time at a post office job, all the while trying to be there for his wife and new daughter. "I was falling asleep at stoplights," he remembers. Adding to the stress was the fact that money was tight; he just couldn't seem to make ends meet.

One night, while logged on to one of his steroid message boards, Mike began chatting with a student. The guy told him he earned some extra scratch selling steroids -- not a lot, just enough to put a bulge in his wallet. It wasn't hard. Just ten bottles of Deca, the guy told him, and he had an extra $300 in his pocket, a monthly car payment for a few minutes of work a day.